Horak: Value plays for Woodbine's Queen's Plate undercard
Woodbine has carded six stakes races on Queen’s Plate Day, and the morning line favorites look vulnerable in three of the graded undercard events. Let’s dive in!
Race 6: Grade 2 King Edward Stakes (2:53 p.m. ET)
Favorite: #2 Synchrony (7-5) has dropped three straight and five of his last six. The 6-year-old horse has only won once at a flat mile and was better last year.
Value Win Contender: #7 Emmaus (3-1) missed by a neck in both extended sprint stakes tries since arriving from Great Britain. I am not sure that today’s added ground helps him.
Live Longshot: #6 Curlin’s Honor (9-2) paired-up solid numbers in back-to-back show finishes vs. local graded sprinters on all-weather and turf in his last two starts. Flavien Prat climbs aboard, and he can compete here with a forward move in his third start after a layoff.
Wagers:
#6 to win
Trifecta Box 2-6-7
Trifecta 6/2-7/ALL
Trifecta 6/ALL/2-7
Race 8: Grade 2 Dance Smartly (4:18 p.m. ET)
Favorite: #1 Holy Helena (9-5) was third as the chalk in this event last year. She has won once in six starts since, and the 2017 Queen's Plate winner will take more money than she should.
Value Win Contender: #8 Rock my Love (7-2) competed once at this distance in France last summer, and she landed the place in that Group 2 contest. She makes her first start in more than eight months for her new trainer Jonathan Thomas, and she fired a bullet for this at Belmont Park June 16. She adds Lasix and Prat rides.
Live Longshot: #7 Lift Up (6-1) returns for sharp trainer Michael Dickinson, and she is 5-for-7 on turf. I am sure that she is ready to roll in her first start in more than seven months, and she missed by a neck when last seen at this distance on all-weather in the Maple Leaf (G3).
Wagers:
#7 to win
Exacta Box 7-8
Trifecta 7-8/1-7-8/ALL
Race 9: Grade 1 Highlander (4:51 p.m. ET)
Favorite: #2 Caribou Club (7-5) is a decent late-running sprinter, but I am not sure what we will get from him in his first start back from Dubai. I have always liked him, but he will not offer much value.
Value Win Contender: #8 White Flag (7-2) owns three wins at this distance, and he is very good stalking and pouncing at this trip. He runs well fresh and looks like a strong win threat.
Live Longshot: #1 Extravagant Kid (6-1) is a gem of consistency and owns quality numbers at mostly shorter distances. He has run well at this distance on dirt and all-weather ground, but has never tried this trip on turf.
Wagers:
#8 to win
Trifecta 8/1-2/ALL
Trifecta 8/ALL/1-2